Hair holder



Jan. 31, 1967 HQFFMANN 3,301,266

HAIR HOLDER Filed May 22, 1964 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,301,266V HAIRHOLDER v, v Ernest Hofimann, Omaha, Nehr., assignor 'to Tip-TopProducts Company, Omaha, Nebr., a corporation of Nebraska i Filed May22, I964, Ser; No; 369,537

Claims. (Cl. 132-46) The present invention relates tohair-holdingdevices and more particularly to an improved head for aponytail holder or the like. I

Various womens hair arrangements, particularly those known as ponytails,pigtails or braids a plurality of adjacent long hairs are groupedtogether in a generally cylindrical body and retained so associated byencircling the body at some point along its lengthwith a compressiveband or tie. In the case of a ponytail, the retaining encirclement isgenerally effected at a point close to thesubjects head, whereas in abraid the point is customarily spaced along the hairs toward theirterminal region.

Traditionally, such hair arrangements were held in place by a ribbon ora similar elongated-cloth piece tied about the elongated hair body, butinasmuch as these easily became loosened and dissociated from the hairbody, allowing the hair to become disarranged, the tie form of hairretaining means has been substantially replaced.

One type of retainer, replacing the ribbon type has been a common rubberband which has been utilized by stretching it and wrapping it over uponitself several times around a point on the hair body. The rubber bandtype holder has been found to be generally satisfactory insofar asretaining the desired h-air arrangement is concerned, however, twodisadvantageous features have somewhat limited its usage.

Firstly, the rubber band in and of itself is not usually consideredaesthetic-ally appealing when seen unadorned in a hair arrangement andsecondly, it has been found to be quite ditficult to remove such bandswithout painfully pulling many hairs which have become entangled withthe stretched and wrapped sections of the band.

To overcome the first disadvantage, many wearers improve the appearanceof the rubber band by tying a ribbon around the hair body over the bandafter the rubber band has been associated with the hair body. However,this decoration does not mitigate the pain involvedin removing the bandfrom the hair. This method is also relatively expensive because of theusage of both ribbons and contractile bands and therefore not entirelysatisfactory, especially where the subjects are small children who willquickly wear out such ribbons as by fraying or soiling them whileplaying.

Various easily dissociable hair holders have been pro- .posed toalleviate some of the dis-advantages of ordinary contractile bands asnoted above, but in general they have had too high a unit cost to bewidely usable and have necessarily included sharp-cornered contractileband end retaining means into which subjects hairs can become wedgedduring ordinary usage of the devices with the attendant painful removalof the device as noted hereinbefore with respect to ordinary contractilebands.

Accordingly it is a prime object of the present invention to provide ahair body retaining device having a low unit cost and which is easilyassociated and dissociated from the wearers hair while retaining thehair body arranged as desired during the interim.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attractive improvedbead for an endless contractile hair holding band which enhances theappearance of the hair arrangement. I

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of an improvedbead for a hair holding band which can be secured to the band withoutextraneous fasteners or tools 3,3312% Patented Jan. 31,

"ice

2 ofany variety and which does not require a deformation o f-the beaditself. I I

It is also an object of the invention to provide a bead of the typedescribed which can easily be removed from a worn out band and replacedon a new band by the user.

The accomplishment of the above mentioned objects and other objects ofthe invention will become more readily "apparent during the course ofthe following detailed explanation in which specific reference is madeto the embodiments of the hair holding device shown in theaccompanyingdrawing which illustrate the principles of the in vention.

.In the drawing: 1

FIGURE. 1 is a perspective view of an elongated hair body retained inits arranged condition by a holder embodying principles of thisinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the holder of FIG- URE '1, one of thebeads being partly broken away to expose the band anchor pin therein;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of'a holder according to the inventionhaving a modified band;

FIGURE 4 is an end. elevation view of a bead according to the invention;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along line 55 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 4.

Now with specific reference to the drawing, the hair holder 10 accordingto the invention preferably comprises an endless, preferably contractileelongated band 12 with which have been associated a pair of noveldecorative beads 14. The band may comprise a conventional rubber band asshown in FIGURE 2 or alternately an elastic cord decoratively braidedfabric covered strand 12' which has been joined intermediate the beads14 by wrapping 16 of thread or the like as illustrated in FIGURE 3. Thewrapping 16 preferably separates the endless strand 12' into twoadjoining lobes 18 each carrying a bead 14 thereon at the furthestdistance along the lobe from the wrapping 16. 4

Each bead 14 includes an enlarged body 20 having a generally smoothexterior. Although the bead exterior has been shown generallyspherically curved it should'be understood that it may present a facetedor otherwise ornament-ally configured appearance as desired providingthat no adjoining surfaces are configured so as to possibly wedginglyentrap or entangle hair strands.

A generally cylindrical socket or Well 22 is formed in the bead 14 andopens outwardly of the head at the front 24 thereof. An anchor pin 26 islocated generally centrally in the well 22 and is attached to the bead14 by an arcuate bridge 28 extending between the base 30 of the pin 26and the bead near the rear 32 thereof. As shown the bead well 22 sidewall 34 surrounds the pin 26 a short distance radially outwardlytherefrom. The pin 26 is preferably shorter than the depth of the well22 so that the rounded outer end 36 of the pin is considerably recessedwith respect to the front 24 of the bead.

That portion of the annulus between the pin 26 and the well wall 34 notoccupied by the arcuate bridge 28 defines an arcuate opening or slot 38through the bead rear 32. As best seen in FIGURE 5, the bridge 28 uppersurface 40 may be concave upwardly to provide a Wedging means forpurposes more fully set forth hereinafter.

In order to assemble a hair holder 10 according to the invention a loopof an endless band such as a rubber band 12 or two lobe decorativebraided bands 12' is inserted from the rear 32 of a bead 14 through aslot 38. Utilizing a pencil or similar elongated device the band loop isdirected over the anchor pin 26 and a tug given to the band strandsprotruding outwardly of the slot 38, thereby seating the band looparound the pin 26 and in 3 the channel-like surface 40. Because thesurface 40 is relatively narrow and the band 12 preferably expansibleand contractile, a further tug on the band will reduce its cross sectionin the portion of the band lying within the channel 40. When the band isreleased, the band will elastically recover until the band wedges andfrictionally engages the surfaces 34 and 40 and the pin 26.

This frictional engagement under compressive stress is quite adequate tohold the head in place on the band.

According to the preferred embodiments shown a second bead 14 isassembled with the band similarly to the first'at a point spaced alongthe band preferably so that the strands 42, 44 are generally of equallength.

Should the user wish to replace a band 12 or 12' itis only necessary tocut or break the band at a point adjacent each bead 14 and pull on theband until it is freed of the panticular bead. A new band may then besubstituted utilizing the process above set forth.

The beads 14 including the pins 26 and bridges 28 are preferably eachmolded as an integral unit from a suitably colorful plastic materialsuch as vinyl chloridevi-nylidine chloride copolymers, polyethylene,polystyrene or the like. Because of this single piece construction, thebeads 14 are advantageously inexpensive so that wearers can easilyafiord to have several sets to match their clothing accessories.Additionally, because no portions of the bead need to be pinchedtogether or otherwise assembled or deformed, there are-no sharp edges orundercut portions which can wedgingly catch the wearers hair a ispossible with constructions of the prior art.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1 the hair holder is preferably associated withthe users hair by wrapping the band 12 or 12' about the hair body andinserting one head 14 between the strands 42, 44 adjacent the other headThe hand then compressively' encircles the hair body'andmay bedisassociated therefrom simply by directing the one head back throughthe space between the strands 42, 44.

In the case of holders including two lobed bands 12' as shown in FIGURE3, each bead 14 can be inserted through each opposite lobe to associatethe band around the hair body.

Although the well 22, pin 26, bridge 28 and slot 38 have' been showngenerally cylindrically curved itshould be obvious that they may beotherwise smoothly curved without departing from the principles of theinvention.

Similarly many other modifications of the hair holder embodiments shownmay be made without departing from the principles of the invention asset forth herein and for I claim:

1. A hair holder comprising an'enlarged bead, means defining a wellextending into said head normal to the surface of the bead; an anchorpin extending axially into said well and means for mounting said pin insaid well adjacent the surface of the bead; said mounting means definingan opening in said head communicating with the well; and an enlongatedelastic band having a portion thereof entering said opening, loopingaround said pin, and departing through said opening.

2. A hair holder as set forth in claim lwherein the well is defined by acurved side wall and a bottom wall; said pin being positioned centrallyof said bottom wall and said opening extends through said: bottom Wallpartially encircling the base of said pin.

3. A hair holder as set forth in claim 2 wherein the well bottom wall inconcave toward said well side wall.

4. A hair holder as set forth in claim 3 wherein the well bottom wall isnarrow relative to the unstressed width of said band and said bandportion within the head is frictionally compressively retained in thechannel defined by the well side wall, the well bottom wall and the pin.

5. A hair holder as set forth in claim 1 additionally comprising asecond enlarged bead mounted on said band in said bead surface.

this reason the extent of the invention should be understood asencompassing all such modifications as-ar'e within the spirit and scopeof the following claims.

8. A bead as setforth'in claim 7 wherein the pin mounting means isintegrally formed with the well well and the opening partially encirclesthe base of the pin.

9. A bead as set forth in claim 8 wherein the pin is substantiallyshorter than the depth of the well.

10;.A bead as set forth in claim 7 wherein the bead including the pin isintegrally, essentially composed of molded plastic material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1961 Todfield13246 7/ 1963 Dubelier 132-46

1. A HAIR HOLDER COMPRISING AN ENLARGED BEAD, MEANS DEFINING A WELLEXTENDING INTO SAID BEAD NORMAL TO THE SURFACE OF THE BEAD; AN ANCHORPIN EXTENDING AXIALLY INTO SAID WELL AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID PIN INSAID WELL ADJACENT THE SURFACE OF THE BEAD; SAID MOUNTING MEANS DEFININGAN OPENING IN SAID BEAD COMMUNICATING WITH THE WELL; AND AN ENLONGATEDELASTIC BAND HAVING A PORTION THEREOF ENTERING SAID OPENING, LOOPINGAROUND SAID PIN, AND DEPARTING THROUGH SAID OPENING.
 7. A BEAD FOR AHAIR HOLDER COMPRISING AN ENLARGED BODY HAVING AN ELONGATE WELLEXTENDING INTO SAID BEAD NORMAL TO THE SURFACE THEREOF, AND A PIN AXIALOF SAID WELL AND MOUNTED THEREIN BY MEANS ADJACENT THE SURFACE OF THEBEAD, SAID PIN AND SAID WELL THEREBY DEFINING AN OPENING IN SAID BEADSURFACE.